No Room in Lee District for Mortgage Fraud and Boarding Houses

Thursday, September 24 marked a huge victory for the residents of Lee
District and Fairfax County. What began years ago right here in Lee
District resulted in the largest fraud investigation in the history of
Fairfax County! Astute citizens, my office, multiple county departments,
the police, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have been working
behind the scenes for two years to research, find, and now arrest
perpetrators of mortgage fraud and illegal boarding houses throughout
this county. Keeping silent during the two years of this criminal
investigation was politically difficult but it was worth it not to
undermine the case.

There’s been no lack of community concern and anger and
tempers—including mine—have flared over the proliferation of illegal
boarding McMansions in our communities. While I sought and achieved
widespread operational changes in our zoning enforcement and Strike Team
operations, zoning enforcement challenges still remained, leaving a sour
taste in the mouths of communities. While operationally we are now better
off, it was critical that we seek criminal prosecution of those who
engaged in mortgage fraud to create hundreds of boarding houses. While we
needed zoning enforcement to take place, criminally prosecuting mortgage
fraud was key and I insisted that both occur simultaneously. That’s
important because mortgage fraud isn’t just another faceless financial
crime. Ask anyone in a community that has been affected and you’ll hear
about the toll it takes on their neighborhood. I am proud of our
community and our County agencies, police, and FBI who have all worked
together to slam the brakes on this crime against neighborhoods.

What does all this mean? It means that citizens—who know their
communities and know when something is not right—can change the face of
government. Democracy is alive and well in Lee District and to my
constituents I say, I heard your concerns, I agreed with your concerns,
and what may have sometimes seemed minor has turned into a vast
collection of fraudulent actions involving a potential loss of over $100
million to mortgage lenders. We have devoted enormous county resources to
this effort because we care about our citizens and we will protect our
neighborhoods.

In Lee District, and in Fairfax County, the message is clear: If you run
an illegal boarding house and are engaged in mortgage fraud, we will find
you, we will prosecute you, and justice will be served. I thank those
communities who have been under assault by frauds running boarding houses
for their patience. I always said we would win this battle, protect our
neighborhoods, and regain faith in the County’s ability to fight for our
citizens.